Colts are getting good deal of deserved respect

Published: Thursday, January 13, 2005

DAVE GOLDBERGASSOCIATED PRESS

For a team that's lost five straight times to its upcoming opponent, the Indianapolis Colts are getting a lot of respect.

The opponent in question, of course, is New England, which has won two of the last three NFL titles. And the game in question is Sunday in Foxboro, where the Patriots beat the Colts in last season's AFC championship game and again in this season's opener.

Nonetheless, the Patriots are favored by just 21/2 points, less than the three points a team normally gets for being at home.

Next to Pittsburgh, the Colts are the NFL's hottest team and MVP Peyton Manning is the NFL's hottest quarterback.

Indy has won nine of 10, the only loss being the final regular-season game in Denver in which it played backups. The Colts took care of that loss at home last week, dispatching the Broncos from the playoffs 49-24 in a game they led 35-3 at the half.

That season opener, a 27-24 win by the Patriots, is why this game is outside in the cold New England winter.

"When we lost that game up there, we felt it would probably cost us a chance to play a home game," concedes Colts coach Tony Dungy. "That's what we have now."

That clearly should slow down Manning.

Of his record 49 touchdown passes, 32 were indoors  26 at home and six more at Detroit's Ford Field. In last year's title game, he threw four interceptions and he had another in the opener  picked off in the end zone on Indy's opening drive by Tedy Bruschi.

But he has one potential advantage here.

Ty Law, New England's best cornerback, has finally been declared out for the season, joining Tyrone Poole, the other starter on the sidelines. No team overcomes injuries better than the Patriots  last year, this year, every year.

But ...

Hot hand.

COLTS, 27-24.

Minnesota (plus 9) at Philadelphia

A lot of Eagles' fans jumped off the bandwagon when Terrell Owens was hurt and more hung their heads when Andy Reid tanked the last two games, playing subs after his team had clinched home-field advantage in the NFC.

Yes, the Vikings can be dangerous  even with a sore ankle, Randy Moss caught two touchdown passes last week.

But give Reid the benefit of the doubt. Even without Owens, the Eagles have a healthy Brian Westbrook, whose absence from last year's playoffs deprived Philadelphia of what was then its only game-breaking player.

EAGLES, 31-21

New York Jets (plus 9) at Pittsburgh

The Jets are better than their reputation, which has been sullied somewhat by the New York media, which decided to ignore the fact that the 5-6 record to finish the regular season was due in large part to Chad Pennington's shoulder injury.

Pennington looked fine last week in New York's overtime win in San Diego  certainly better than he did in a 17-6 loss in Pittsburgh Dec. 12 when he was playing hurt.

But the Steelers are rested and couldn't even lose when they tried  they won their 14th straight playing subs in Buffalo against a team that would have made the playoffs had it won.

Probably closer than the spread but ...

STEELERS, 24-18

St. Louis (plus 7) at Atlanta

The Rams insist they're playing their best now and they seem to be  they beat the Jets at home in the regular-season finale and won in Seattle last week.

They also get the indoor fast track they like at the Georgia Dome, where they lost 34-17 in the second week of the season.

But they are just 3-6 on the road this season.

Two of the wins were over the inconsistent Seahawks and the other was against San Francisco, easily the NFL's worst team this season.

And whatever the fast track does for the Rams, it also does a lot for Michael Vick, who ran for 109 yards and was 14-of-19 for 179 yards in the first meeting.